The death of a 20-year-old Dalit youth, Sunny Kumar, in police custody at the Tarwa police station in Azamgarh on Sunday night has led to intense protests by his family and local residents. The protests escalated on Monday as the agitators vandalized a police vehicle and blocked roads outside the station. The authorities responded by deploying a heavy police presence to maintain control over the situation.
Kumar, the son of Harikant, was taken into police custody on Sunday following a sexual harassment complaint filed by a minor girl. The complaint alleged that Kumar had made obscene gestures and played vulgar songs on his phone when the girl was passing by on March 28. Late that night, a police guard reportedly found Kumar hanging by the drawstring of his pyjama in the bathroom of the police station.
While Senior Superintendent of Police Hemraj Meena indicated that preliminary investigations suggested suicide, Kumar’s family and local political leaders, including Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav, have alleged custodial torture and murder.
In the wake of the incident, several police personnel, including the station house officer, a sub-inspector, and a constable, have been suspended. The District Magistrate, Navneet Singh Chahal, has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter.
The post-mortem examination, which was conducted under tight security, revealed no injury marks on Kumar’s body, but authorities have assured that all angles of the case will be thoroughly investigated.
This story was originally published in theobserverpost.com.